Ballari Police get new IGP, SP after New Year’s clash that killed Congress worker
Ballari: Ballari has witnessed a major reshuffle in its police leadership following the New Year’s Day clash in Avvambavi village that led to the death of Congress worker Rajashekhar.
Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Varthika Katiyar has been transferred, and 2004-batch IPS officer P S Harsha has been appointed as the new Inspector General of Police. At the district level, Suman Pannekar, a 2013-batch IPS officer who was serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence), has been named the new Superintendent of Police. Pavan Nejjur, who had taken charge as SP on December 31, was suspended in the aftermath of the violence. Chitradurga SP Ranjith Bandaru had been overseeing arrangements in the interim.
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Soon after assuming charge on Wednesday, IGP Harsha visited Avvambavi, where the clash took place, and inspected the site, Deccan Herald reported. He held discussions with officials on the ground, sought details of the incident and issued preliminary directions. The newly appointed SP is expected to formally take charge on Thursday.
Addressing the media, Harsha said he had received clear instructions to act without bias. He said information related to recent incidents in Ballari would be collected, investigations would be carried out, and appropriate action would follow. He added that the clash would be examined in detail and further discussions would be held with officers once the new SP assumed charge.
The developments come amid an escalating political row over the incident. Ballari MLA Janardhana Reddy released a video claiming that a private bodyguard fired at Rajashekhar during the clash on January 1. In response, videos were released from the office of MLA Bharat Reddy, including footage that purportedly shows a person standing atop Janardhana Reddy’s house at the time of the incident.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
